It is standard practice to transport and store various goods in crates or boxes having a closed lower wall or floor, closed side walls, and an open upper wall or top which may be covered with a lid. So long as the top of such a box is readily accessible it is easy to remove items stored therein from the box. When, however, such boxes are stacked, it is impossible to gain access to the interiors of any but the uppermost box without moving the boxes on top of the box containing the desired item.
It has been suggested to provide such a storage and transport box which can be stacked on its side, so that in effect the top is provided on the side. This arrangement has the considerable disadvantage that when loose items, such as produce, are held within such a box they can all come cascading out when the lid is removed laterally. What is more it is normally impossible to close such an arrangement.
Although it has been suggested to provide laterally openable doors on such boxes, as on an air-freight container, such arrangements normally are considered undesirable for several reasons.
First of all such a door normally causes considerable structural weakening of the box, often to the point where it can no longer meet prescribed strength specifications. What is more such a laterally openable door normally projects outwardly when opened, or at least its hinge projects beyond the plane of the outer surface of the side having such a door, so that the provision of this door, even when it is closed, makes handling and shipping of such a box rather difficult.